A strong police escort accompanied Caravaggio's masterpiece, Supper at Emaus which arrived at the Zagreb Museum of Arts and Trade (MUO) on Tuesday and will be exhibited over the next three months as the most valuable piece of art ever exhibited in Croatia.
This masterpiece dating back to 1606 was accompanied to Zagreb's museum arrived under strong police measures in a wooden crate which will remain unopened for the next 24 hours and then will be opened briefly to retrieve its official documentation in the presence of custodian Amalia Pacia from the Pinacoteca di Brera Art Gallery in Milan where the painting is kept.
The painting has been insured for a value of EUR 60 million and it will be exhibited in the Baroque Hall of the museum with constant supervision and a security barrier, cameras and motion detector.
The arrival of Caravaggio's painting to Zagreb is an important political message and Italy's sign of welcome to Croatia's joining the European Union, MUO's director Miroslav Gasparovic said.
This masterpiece by Caravaggio is mentioned alongside the Mona Lisa, Michelangelo and the Last Judgement and the arrival of this masterpiece is a great compliment to the museum as it has managed to satisfy the highest standards to exhibit such a masterpiece.
First Secretary at the Italian Embassy to Croatia Luca Laudiero agreed that this event was significant and was a great gift representing Italy's welcome to Croatia joining the EU.
